The University of Kentucky has hired an attorney familiar with NCAA dealings to help Randolph Morris regain his eligibility.

Rick Evrard, a former NCAA employee who has represented several other schools in eligibility matters, now is on UK's team, athletic director Mitch Barnhart said.

Evrard, who was an enforcement official with the NCAA, works for the Overland Park, Kan., law firm of Bond, Schoeneck & King, which specializes in NCAA compliance cases.

Morris, UK's sophomore center, is ineligible while the school and the NCAA jointly investigate his relationship with the sports agency SFX and any expense money he accepted while working out for National Basketball Association teams prior to this past summer's draft.

Morris entered his name in the draft after averaging 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds as a freshman but was not selected. He currently is enrolled in classes at UK and is practicing with the team.

Evrard has experience from a similar situation two seasons ago involving former University of Connecticut forward Charlie Villanueva.

"In situations like this, it helps to have somebody who knows the inner workings of the NCAA," Barnhart said.

Villanueva originally committed to Illinois but never signed a letter of intent. He then worked out for a handful of NBA teams in preparation for the draft but withdrew and enrolled at UConn.

Like Morris, who practiced for several teams in Chicago at an SFX-sponsored workout in June, Villanueva attended a Chicago workout two summers ago set up by agent Dan Fagan.

The NCAA eventually suspended Villanueva for eight games at the start of the 2003-04 season.

Morris already has missed UK's first two regular-season games, and Barnhart said it's impossible to predict a timetable.

Without going into specifics, Barnhart said UK and the NCAA have a major sticking point in their talks and it's significant enough that it could cost Morris his college eligibility.

"It's possible," he said. "But we're doing everything we can for Randolph."